Fried Oaxaca Cheese Tacos with Mango Salsa
These fried Oaxaca cheese tacos combine crunchy fried cheese with savory poblano peppers, sweet mango, and a spicy homemade red pepper sauce for a mouthful of flavor in every bite.
I used to feel like frying food was a big hassle, but once I simplified it, it became a lot easier. I just put some oil in a pan over medium heat and make sure that it doesn’t start smoking. Frying is a lot more accessible this way.
Techniques for Fried Oaxaca Cheese Tacos
- Make sure the oil is hot but not smoking. I like to put a couple of panko bread crumbs in to test the oil and make sure it sizzles. You can use a thermometer, or a dedicated deep fryer if you want to be more precise.
- After roasting the poblano peppers, place them in a lidded bowl or a zipper bag to cool. The steam will help loosen the skin and make the peppers easier to peel.
- Bright and spicy red pepper sauce & mango salsa balance the rich fried cheese.
Love Tacos?
Yield: 8 Tacos
Fried Oaxaca Cheese Tacos
These fried cheese tacos are delicious and packed with flavor. Server with hot sauce if you like it even hotter.
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 poblano peppers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 mango, remove skin and dice
- 1/8 cup jalapeno, diced
- 1/8 cup red onion, diced
- 1 lime, sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges
- 1 egg
- 12 ounces Oaxaca cheese, sliced into 8 sticks
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup flour
- 1/8 cup sour cream
- 1/8 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 8 tortillas
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- Adjust rack to the middle position, then preheat the oven broiler.
- Broil the peppers: On a broiler-safe baking sheet, broil red pepper & poblano pepper until slightly charred on all sides, rotating after about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the peppers from the oven and place them in a sealed container to cool and steam. Once cool, remove skin, seeds, and stem from both peppers. Slice poblano flesh into strips.
- Red Pepper Cream Sauce: Blend together red pepper flesh, 1/8 cup sour cream, 1/8 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/4 teaspoon coarse pepper, and the juice from 1 lime wedge.
- Mango Salsa: Stir together diced mango, 1/8 cup diced red onion, diced jalapeno, 1 wedge of lime juice, and the cilantro.
- Fried Oaxaca: Heat one cup of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. The oil should not smoke but should be hot enough that cheese sizzle when you drop it in. Setup 3 bowls for breading Oaxaca cheese. 1st bowl flour seasoned with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. 2nd bowl one egg whisked together with 1 tablespoon water. 3rd bowl 1 cup panko breadcrumbs seasoned with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Dip the Oaxaca cheese stick into flour and shake off excess. Dip Oaxaca cheese stick into egg, gently shake off excess. Spoon panko bread crumbs onto the cheese stick. Do not submerge the cheese stick into bread crumbs as they will become wet and fail to adhere to later sticks. Place the cheese stick straight into hot oil and cook until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Once breadcrumbs are golden brown, remove from oil and place onto a paper towel lined plate.
- To serve: Place a cheese stick on a tortilla, top with the mango salsa, drizzle with red pepper cream sauce on top. Serve with hot sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 759Total Fat: 50gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 34gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 1254mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 19g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
So good!